Many personal care compositions are formulated for use as sunscreen or to provide a secondary benefit of UV protection. UV actives are used to provide such compositions with UV absorption capability. Many of the more robust UV actives providing an absorption benefit over a broader range of the UV spectra are solid materials. These solid UV actives require solubilization to provide an effective and consumer acceptable composition. For example, solid UV actives such as butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (i.e., avobenzone) and/or (2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-phenylmethanonebenzophenone-3 (i.e., benzophenone-3) or triazine compounds such as bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine (i.e., bemotrizinol) require a solvent to keep these actives in solution or emulsion and to prevent crystallization.
Several solvents previously have been used to solubilize solid UV actives. Fatty esters of carboxylic acid such as C12-C15 alkyl bezonate are well known solvents for solid UV actives. Esters of adipic acid such as diisopropyl adipate are another suitable class of solvents for solid UV actives. Amide oils are widely used class of solvents for solid UV actives and include ethyl N-acetyl-N-butylaminoproprionate, or, more preferably, isopropyl lauroyl sarcosinate. However, there still exists a need for alternative solvents for solid UV actives. In particular, a need exists for solvents that can solubilize the UV active while also providing one or more additional skin or hair care benefits.